How to Train Your Dog to Leave It
Introduction
'Leave it' is a basic and necessary obedience command. This is one you will use while on walks to keep your dog from being distracted. You can also use ‘leave it’ at home when your dog is counter surfing or has decided your shoes are his best chew toy. This command could save your dog’s life. Use ‘leave it’ to teach your dog not to go near something dangerous, bother something like a wild animal who could cause harm, or eat something that could cause illness. Most likely, this command will be used in your home to keep your dog’s curiosity in check. Use ‘leave it’ anytime you want your dog to step away from and keep his nose from something. From items which are not toys to foods you will not want your dog to eat, ’leave it’ is an essential command. Teach your dog to leave other animals alone on walks as well as the sleeping baby in your house with the ‘leave it’ command.
Defining Tasks
Training the 'leave it' command is a bit more advanced than basic obedience commands, but if your dog knows the basic commands, this one won’t be difficult. Be sure he knows all the basics before working on ‘leave it.’ You may require your dog to sit on command if he is on a walk and you need to use ‘leave it.’ You can teach a dog at any age to leave it. This command is important because your dog will be curious and depend on you to tell him what is acceptable to eat, sniff, and play with and what is not acceptable. Be ready for some short repetitive training sessions to teach ‘leave it.’ And have your dog in different situations as he learns the command so he knows this is used for many scenarios.
Getting Started
To train ‘leave it,’ you’ll need treats, time, and patience. Plan short sessions to keep your dog’s interest. You may want to include items you don’t want your dog to have once he has learned the command. Practice ‘leave it’ once your dog understands basic commands.
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Written by Stephanie Plummer
Published: 10/11/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
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Training Questions and Answers
Zoe
Zoe doesn’t get to leave our property very often, she has 5 acres to play on so it is usually not necessary. This makes it challenging when we need to go for a car ride. She is scared of the other cars and barks and growls at them, I am investing in a restraint for the car, she currently just has the car seat hammock cover in the back seat but she will try to climb over it while we’re on the road. She loves when the window is down and she can stick her head out but her behavior when other cars pass by make it difficult to let the windows be down for her. I am afraid she will try to jump out or hurt herself trying to go after the other cars.
776 Dog owners recommended
Hello Lauren, I do suggest having pup sit or lie down while riding. Even though pup likes looking out the window - it sounds like pup is not safe doing so, and it also increases arousal, which contributes to the car aggression. Practice having pup perform a sit or down stay in a stationary car. Practice putting the car harness on and staying in the car, with the car off. Once pup can do that, check out the article linked below and the Overcoming fear method. You want to reward things that encourage calmness and not excitement or reactivity. The video below showed how to introduce the harness in one session for the purpose of time and taping. Go at your dog's pace. Some dogs will do this in one session, and others will need the training broken up into several sessions, going at pup's own pace. Harness introduction how to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5b8u1YS_g&feature=emb_title Overcoming Fear Method https://wagwalking.com/training/like-car-rides Have a friend drive you around while you practice enforcing a calm Sit or Down with the car harness on during short rides, to help with calmness. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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